


dancing king

by kaptivated



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arcades, Competition, M/M, No danganronpa just let them be happy high school kids having fun, Ouma has it bad too but he's a little shit, Saihara has it bad for Ouma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 06:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15880530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaptivated/pseuds/kaptivated
Summary: There's a stranger that Saihara sees every week at the local arcade. This stranger is absolutely godlike at Dance Dance Revolution, and he knows it.Today, after the boy full combos another song and starts chugging his fifth bottle of Panta, Saihara walks up to the platform and swipes in his own game credits.The purple-haired boy raises an eyebrow and twists the cap back over his drink."Oh? What's this? A new challenger?""Looks like it."





	dancing king

**Author's Note:**

> I went to an arcade yesterday with my friends and it was a really fun experience. I haven't played DDR since elementary school... that game is no joke.

There's a stranger that Saihara sees every week at the local arcade.  
  
Ever since Momota made it their tradition to visit every Friday night after getting dinner together, Saihara and his friends have tried just about every game they have to offer. While Harukawa is particularly good at shooting games, Momota knocks everyone out of the park at racing games. Akamatsu is surprisingly a pro at skeeball, and Amami has won more plushies from the claw machine than he bothers to remember.  
  
There is still one game that they have never tried, and that's because there's always the same person hogging it.  
  
He's as short as a grade schooler, as annoying as a middle schooler, and yet he wears a high school uniform every single week. Saihara's pretty sure he comes straight to the arcade once school is out and just plays for hours on end, given how sweaty and tired he always looks.  
  
This stranger is absolutely godlike at Dance Dance Revolution, and he knows it.  
  
Occasionally, people try to challenge him to a round or two, but they're all inevitably defeated. The thing is, this arrogant little bastard has the nerve to laugh about it.  
  
"Nishishi, serves you right!"  
  
"Funny how you thought you ever had a chance."  
  
"Try playing whack-a-mole or some other baby games for your age."  
  
It's childish and extremely off-putting, but for some reason, Saihara can't stop watching him play. He jumps and spins so fast that Saihara wonders how he hasn't tripped over his own feet yet. He wants to ask the boy, just how long has he been coming to the arcade to play this game? He can't help wanting to know more about this eccentric stranger.  
  
To that end, Saihara has spent an embarrassing amount of time online looking at videos of DDR gameplay, memorizing the steps along the way. After a month of practicing like this, he's had enough of just standing at the sidelines.  
  
Today, after the stranger full combos another song and starts chugging his fifth bottle of Panta, Saihara walks up to the platform and swipes in his own game credits.  
  
The purple-haired boy raises an eyebrow and twists the cap back over his drink.  
  
"Oh? What's this? A new challenger?"  
  
"Looks like it." Saihara tries to hide the fact that his hands are shaking by shoving them into his pockets.  
  
The boy's face contorts into a contemptuous sneer. "Are you serious? A scrawny twink like you is gonna try to beat me?"  
  
"Y-Yeah. I'll do my best."  
  
At that, the stranger suddenly bursts into laughter and Saihara starts to regret his move, but the laughter dies as he comes down with a deep breath. Wide purple eyes glimmering with excitement and staring into Saihara's soul, the boy grins as he exclaims, "Sounds exciting! Let me see what you've got, pretty boy."  
  
Saihara tries to ignore the crowd that's gathered as he selects a song. He scrolls through the options until he finds one that he recognizes, freezing at the difficulty selection screen.  
  
"What's the matter? Scared you'll fail on difficult? Don't even bother if you're gonna switch to basic, I don't like wasting my time."  
  
Saihara locks eyes with his opponent and slaps the select button on expert without another word. When he sees the way the stranger's face blanches in shock for just a second, Saihara can't help but grin.  
  
The purple-haired boy shakes the surprise off his face and puts on a smile to match. "Alright then... try to keep up!"  
  
Saihara goes over the video once more in his head. It should start with...  
  
A jump, right left!  
  
As soon as his feet hit the floor, he's off, letting his muscle memory take over. His hands grip tightly at the metal bar behind him, 180 bpm driving his heels into the ground faster than he can think. Perfect, perfect, great, perfect... Soon he's at a 100 combo and he can't believe his own eyes.  
  
At a break in the music, he glances at the second screen, finding his competitor at the same exact combo. Gasping for air, his racing heart almost keeps him from hitting the next downbeat.  
  
It's when the guitar solo kicks in that things start falling apart. One miss leads to another, and another, and soon he's struggling just to stay in the game. Legs giving out, Saihara can barely command himself to jump. His vision starts to fade into black dots, and Saihara is sure he's going to fail this song.  
  
He breathes, he blinks. It's over.  
  
Completely exhausted, Saihara slides down against the metal until he hits the floor. He definitely lost. Honestly, how did he even survive for that long? Although part of him feels proud for managing to do so well on his first real try playing the game, the other part braces himself for the jeering taunts that would surely start at any moment...  
  
"You're pretty bad at this, you know."  
  
Saihara frowns as he hangs his head down, still trying to catch his breath. He didn't have to be so direct about it.  
  
"But, I mean, no one else in this stinky arcade has ever passed this song on expert before! So I might be impressed, just a little bit."  
  
"Huh?" He lifts his head to find a pale, sweaty hand extended toward him. Behind it, a flashing screen with a "D" in giant blue font. No taunt comes. Instead, a pair of smiling purple eyes.  
  
"I said, you were able to impress me, the amazing Kokichi Ouma!" A faint blush spreads over the boy's pouting cheeks. "Don't make me repeat myself again."  
  
"Ouma-kun..." He tests the name on his tongue. It's fitting. A bratty, arrogant king... and yet so incredibly cute when he comes down from his throne. Saihara grabs Ouma's outstretched hand, not missing the way his blush deepens at the contact.  
  
He pulls himself up, towering a full head over the arcade champion. "Thanks. You managed to impress the lowly Shuichi Saihara as well."  
  
"Well, of course!" Ouma smiles that same ear-to-ear grin as he squeezes Saihara's hand. "Who wouldn't be impressed with me?"  
  
Saihara laughs. "I don't have a clue..."


End file.
